Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The schools admissions code has transformed the admissions system. We have outlawed unfair and covert admission practices which disadvantaged low-income families and increased social segregation. We have extended the role of the independent schools adjudicator allowing him to look into any admission arrangements that parents feel are unfair or overly complicated as well as requiring him to monitor compliance and report annually to the Secretary of State.
	The Information as to Provision of Education (England) Regulations 2008 require local authorities (LAs) to submit data to the Department on how many families received an offer of a place at one of their preferred secondary schools. This year on Monday 2 March, almost 547,000 families were advised at which secondary school their child was being offered a place.
	Today we are publishing validated data, based on returns from 149 LAs, showing that across the country 83.2 per cent. of families received an offer at their first preference school. This is an increase of 1.1 percentage points on last year's figures. A further 8.4 per cent. of families were offered a place at their second preference school and, in total, 94.6 per cent. were offered a place at one of their three preferred schools. I am placing a copy of these data in the Library of the House.
	There is considerable variation nationally. Outside London, 86 per cent. of parents were offered a place in their first preference school. For Greater London, this figure is 66 per cent.. However across London, over 93 per cent. of pupils have been offered a place at one of their chosen schools.
	Parents have the right of appeal against any application that has been turned down; and over the summer, local authorities and schools will be re-allocating places where others have moved address or chosen a different education for their child.
	Parents now have a fairer choice because of our action to enforce the code, and also more real choice because there has been a transformation in the quality of our state schools. More schools are judged by Ofsted as outstanding and more than 78,000 more young people are leaving school with five good GCSEs including English and mathematics than did so 10 years ago. In 1998, there were 1,600 schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of children achieved five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics. Now there are just 440 below this minimum standard, and our national challenge programme is working to ensure that all schools reach this standard by 2011.
	We are continuing to look at ways to improve the admissions system. The Secretary of State has recently asked the independent schools adjudicator to report on how admissions authorities are using random allocation.

Sadiq Khan: Today my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Hazel Blears) is publishing the East Midlands Regional Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy) (RSS) for the East Midlands which covers the period 2006-26. Also published are the final Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment plus other supporting documents. This replaces RSS8 (issued in March 2005) with the exception of part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-regional strategy which remains extant.
	The regional spatial strategy forms part of the statutory development plan for every local authority in the East Midlands and sets the framework for the production of local development frameworks and local transport plans. It provides the spatial plan for the development of the region, and the policy framework for employment, housing, transport and the environment.
	The existing strategy (RSS 8), which is replaced today, was published in March 2005. The draft revision of the RSS was submitted to Government in September 2006 by the East Midlands regional assembly. It was tested by an examination in public lasting eight weeks during summer 2007 and the panel report was published in November 2007. Proposed changes were published on 22 July 2008 followed by a 12 week public consultation ending on October 17. We received 2,549 comments from 735 respondents.
	We have carefully examined all the responses. The result is that we have rebased the housing figures from 2006 rather than 2001 to bring the plan more up to date. We have defined total housing provision for all authorities (apart from Northamptonshire where figures were not subject to review), setting out the total that local authorities need to plan for up to 2026. Responding to representations we have removed the five year phasing of the housing provision which was introduced in the proposed changes and we have responded to the concerns of local authorities around Nottingham by reducing the level of increase for the city and adjusting the balance of numbers required between urban and rural areas for the suburban authorities, which reflect their concerns about land availability. Total provision in the Lincolnshire coastal districts of East Lindsey, Boston and South Holland remains limited and will be reviewed after a coastal strategy has been completed. A small adjustment to remove some double counting in the Leicestershire area has also been made.
	The result is a total provision of 430,300 dwellings over the plan period, compared to 408,360 at the draft stage and 434,094 at proposed changes.
	We have made some minor amendments to the text to clarify the position on climate change measures for local authorities who do not have an up to date development plan document. We believe this clarification will reduce the risk of confusion.
	We have also made some changes to the pitch requirement figures for gypsies, travellers and showpeople, which clarify the timescales and remove some errors in the use of gypsy and traveller accommodation assessments.
	Other minor changes and updating have also been done.
	Copies of relevant documents have been placed in the Library of the House and will be provided to the region's MPs and MEPs, local authorities, the East Midlands regional assembly and the East Midlands development agency. The Regional Plan and all related documents are also available to download from the website of the Government office for the East Midlands: www.gos.gov.uk/goem/planning/regional-planning/.

Ben Bradshaw: We are today laying before Parliament the Government response (Cm 7558) to the Health Committee report NHS Next Stage Review, which was published on 13 January.
	"High Quality Care for All", the final report of the NHS Next Stage Review published in June 2008, set out a vision of an NHS that gives patients and the public more information and choice, works in partnership and has quality of care at its heart.
	"High Quality Care for All" set out the national framework that will enable and support the delivery of the ambitious visions for local health and health care published by strategic health authorities in May and June of 2008. It is these visions, based on the work of local clinicians and unprecedented engagement with patients, staff and the public, that are at the heart of the NHS Next Stage Review.
	The Committee's report concluded that there was much to commend in the review, welcoming in particular the open and consultative way in which it had been conducted and it's emphasis on quality and leadership within the NHS.
	The Committee was concerned that weaknesses in primary care trust (PCT) commissioning meant that its implementation might be slower and more uneven than hoped. While welcoming the provision of additional primary care services that the Next Stage Review commits to, the Committee emphasised that this needs careful management and evaluation of its impact locally.
	The Government response welcomes the Committee's report and sets out the measures that the Government's have taken to improve PCT commissioning through the ambitious world class commissioning programme. It sets out the Government's commitment to growing and strengthening primary care and explains that delivery of the additional services the review commits to is a response to patient demand. Their delivery will be locally led and evidence-based.
	Today's publication is in the Library of the House and copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office.

Gordon Brown: I have today published a list of Ministers' interests. The First Annual Report of the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Minister's Interests has also been published alongside the List. Copies of both documents have been placed in the Libraries of the House.